90s kids, do you remember the Forum? The iconic Inglewood arena, home to the Showtime Lakers and the host of concerts that give fans goosebumps to this day? It was the arena that defined the 20th century for the Lakers. It really was the end of an era when the Lakers moved to the Staples Center at the turn of the century. To this day, some fans believe the Lakers lost a part of themselves with the move away from the Forum. And Tim Kawamaki, reporter for the SF Standard, is among the ones who want new owner Mark Walter to bring back the Forum to it’s former glory. But it’s not just him. Some Lakers legends still reminisce about the good old days spent in the Forum to this day.

See, Tim believes the LA Forum was more than just an arena for the Lakers. Tim believes it was just as much a part of their identity as their iconic Purple and Gold. And the SF Standard reporter was completely onboard with a fan’s idea about how things could go back to how they were. The fan, who says they used work at the Forum back in the day, suggested that new Lakers owner Mark Walter should buy the Forum from Steve Ballmer. And then make it the home of the Lakers once again.

 “Many, many, old-time Lakers people would LOVE to go back to a redone Forum. Love love love it,” said Tim Kawamaki. Now, he didn’t elaborate on who these old-timers were. But he also referenced these Lakers figures in an earlier tweet. “I can keep going. I know many Lakers people who thought the team [lost] some of its soul when it moved from the Forum to that building and were privately disappointed by it even in Year 1,” he wrote.

See, the Lakers fan suggesting that Mark Walter move the Lakers to the Forum, right after acquiring the club in a record-breaking deal, isn’t just about arenas. No, it’s about culture. See, the Forum means something to the people of LA, specifically, Inglewood. There’s a reason Kendrick Lamar chose it to host the Popout gig off the heels of his notorious beef with Drake. The Forum is where momentous things happen in LA. And that’s why the fan wants Jerry Buss’ 1999 decision to sell it reversed.

It’s where the Showtime Lakers ruled the roost with Magic Johnson at the helm. The Forum saw the rise of Wayne Gretzky, subsequently making hockey a viable pastime for the nation. And it’s where Jerry Buss made the Lakers the entertainment-first, must-watch team we know and love today. For those very reasons, two Lakers legends still feel like the Forum is their home as they reminisced about it.

James Worthy and Byron Scott’s words make the LA Forum’s significance clear

Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers moved to the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena), the Forum has lost some of its former glory. It stays vacant at times. There are occasional concerts, like Kendrick and friends’ Popout. But those are still few and far between compared to its heyday. And as legends speak up on the famed arena’s heritage and its significance, the ball stays firmly in Mark Walter’s court.

Byron Scott, who won 3 NBA titles with the Showtime Lakers and even served as head coach from 2014 to 2016, explained why the Forum was so special. “I think a lot of it was because of the fact that, especially in the ’80’s, you had showtime. We didn’t have a whole lot of things in Inglewood to be extremely proud of. But the Forum was something that we were extremely proud of because it was right in my neighborhood. And you had everybody from Hollywood coming to watch us play. So that was a very exciting time,” he explained. And it’s true from the Showtime Lakers and Elvis Presley to Led Zepellin, the Los Angeles Kings and everything in between — the LA Forum was where you could see these stars shine their brightest.

And as an Inglewood native, nothing made you prouder back then. But even people from outside the city found that the Forum called to them. Like Hall of Famer James Worthy. He explained that coming to the Forum was the best introduction he could have had to Inglewood. “You know, Byron grew up there. He was a city guy, and I was [a] country boy. I soaked it up. I soaked up everything. Inglewood to me was a city of pride. Back in the day, I heard it was like the little mecca of Hollywood. It was just a magical, mystical city,” James Worthy told the LAist.

From Magic to Jerry West to Wilt Chamberlain, this legendary arena has played host to basketball royalty. But now, as it sits dormant, Lakers fans, especially the ones who grew up watching them in the late 80s through the 90s, much like these Lakers legends, want it back at its former glory. So, if you’re Mark Walter, you have a decision to make. And our best guess is that voices like Tim Kawamaki will not be silenced till their demands are acknowledged, at the very least!